The Barbarian
by NindroidZane007
Summary: <html><head></head>Ian is a barbarian, who loses his best friend. He resorts to drinking Dark Elixir to clear his mind of the worries, yet his "cure" has a peculiar side effect. Julia is a color-blind archer. Pedro is a Giant, with not only giant muscles, but he has a giant vocabulary, too. Chief Pat is the chief of the village. Can these four survive the evil Goblins? Or will Pat's village fall?</html>
1. Chapter 1

_Ian's POV_

Well, today was just another one training. I swear, I think Julia is pretty. her purple hair is so... wow. I'm not one to talk about beauty, but, seriously. She's just... just, well... like a flower beside the river.

Pat, our Chief, came up to the barracks I reside in.

"Listen, we are about to attack, fellas! Prepare for battle!" Chief Pat said, and I got my sword.

"Hey, Ian." Julia asked me, and I whirled around to see her.

"'Sup, Julia?" I replied. I cringed mentally. Seriously? "'Sup?" Boy, did I goof up.

"Oh, um, nothing. It's just... good luck in the battle." Julia stated.

"Yeah, me too."'I stated. I facepalmed.

"I mean, uh, you too." I corrected myself.

"We're under attack!" Hope, our Healer, yelled as she flew across the barracks.

"I got this." Mason, our wizard, stated, and formed fireballs in his hand. He exited the barracks, and was about to throw his fireball, when an arrow from an enemy archer struck him in the chest.

"MASON!" I yelled, and raced to him. I picked him up, evading the enemy. The barracks was behind the wall, and a gap was in it. I knew there was a bomb in it. I carefully went around, and got inside the barracks.

I put him on the table, the one where Hope heals any wounded troops. Hope tried everything she could with Mason, yet the wizard was still badly wounded.

Hope's eyes glistened with sadness.

"It seems that the arrow's dark elixir coating caused an infection on his body." Hope stated in a sad tone.

Mason was breathing heavily, and his normal green eyes were a dark grey.

"C'mon, man. You can make it through. We're brothers for life, right?" I said, holding back the tears.

"Yeah. We're bros for life. Yet I'll still be around, lingering in your heart." Mason stated hoarsely.

"Don't die on me. Not now." I sniffled, and a tear fell down into my moustache.

"In a way, I'll never die. When you wanna chat with me, I'll be able to chat. I'll always be here." Mason said, and drew his final breath.

I sobbed, tear after tear falling like raindrops.


	2. Chapter 2

_Ian's POV_

I went to the dark elixir storage later that night with my mug in my hand.

I sighed, and allowed some of the dark elixir to flow in my cup, then drank it

I can't really describe how it feels. Its kinda like... well, being asleep, and at the same time, having so much energy.

_The next day..._

On my bedside table, I had a carving of Mason and I together. I felt so angry, and cut it in half with my sword.

I went outside, and raged as I attacked the training dummy vigorously.

"Why, dammit?! Why did he have to die so soon?! Why?!" I yelled, chopping its head off.

I went off to the next dummy. I threw my sword onto the ground, and started punching it.

"Why?!" I cried, and stopped punching it. I sobbed as I leaned on it.

_Julia's POV_

I saw Ian leaning on the training dummy, sobbing. In his case, it's okay for him to cry. He just lost his best friend.

"You seriously like that wimp of a barbarian, Julia?" Alexis, my friend and fellow archer, asked.

"What if Ian's fellow barbarians said 'you seriously like that colorblind archer, Ian?' And besides, he's just lost his best friend. He's just... just... how should I put it? Emotionally and mentally injured." I replied sternly.

Alexis and Lydia, another fellow archer, snickered.

Then, suddenly, Pedro, my (literally) giant friend picked them up by their hoods.

"Hi, Pedro." I said, waving my hand.

"Hello, Julia. I overheard your conversation. Sorry, sorry." Pedro replied.

"Put us down!" Alexis yelled, struggling to escape.

"Yeah!" Lydia also yelled.

"Apologize, and I'll let you two ladies go."

Alexis sighed in frustration.

"We're sorry." Alexis and Lydia said halfheartedly

"For?" Pedro raised his brow.

"For laughing at you." Alexis and Lydia stated.

Pedro gently set them down. Boy, does he put the "gentle" back in "gentle giant."

"Look what I found in Mason's room!" Pedro said, holding up a book called _The World of Atoms_, by Niels Bohr.

"That's... awesome!" I exclaimed. I almost forgot that Mason believed everyone was made of trillions of cells (quadrillions for giants) and each cell was made of trillions of atoms, with thingies called subatomic particles in them.

"Pedro, Sorry to interrupt, but... may I go check on Ian?" I said, and walked towards Ian.

"Um, Ian?" I asked as he quietly sobbed.

"What?!" Ian snapped, and then he sighed.

"Oh, sorry. I'm just... uh..." Ian apologized, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Emotionally and mentally injured?" I suggested.

"If that means I'm in grief, then yeah." Ian smiled weakly.

He then sighed again.

"I really don't what to do with Mason. He was practically my brother. we were roommates for quite some time, then the chief said we had to be with our fellow troops, like barbarians were to be with other barbarians at curfew. Remember that?" Ian said wistfully.

"Yeah." I replied. What else was I to say?

"But Mason was right next door. We could still hang out. Chief saw nothing wrong with that. But I wonder, has Chief Pat heard of Mason's death?" Ian stated.

Suddenly, Chief Pat came walking towards us.

"Guys, we've got a problem! We're missing ten drops of dark elixir! And we haven't even been raided by anyone! Dark elixir doesn't evaporate at 65°F!" Chief Pat stated with a bit of bitterness. "Do you know anything about it, Ian?"

"No." Ian said, but I saw fear in his eyes. Could it be that he's lying?

"What about you, Julia?" Chief Pat asked.

"No." I replied.

The chief left, and Ian sighed in relief.

"What's going on, Ian?" I asked, confused.

"Can you keep a secret, Julia?" Ian countered my question

"If it's that you like me, it's no secret." I stated, crossing my arms.

"What?! No! I— oh, alright. You got me. A perfect bullseye on that one. But the secret I wanna trust you with has to do with the dark elixir."

"Okay, I won't tell anyone about it." I said.

"Listen." Ian whispered in my ear. "I drank some dark elixir last night. Ten drops of it. And it's hard to describe how it felt afterwards."

My eyes widened. What was he thinking?!

_REEEEEEET! _

"What in the name of Clashius was that?!" Ian yelled.

"Oh, it's your cousin, Mr. T the hog rider." I replied, giggling.

"Hey, guys! Oh, wait, hold still for a moment!" Tyrone (that's his real name) said, making a rectangle with his fingers.

"Aaand... cah-lick!" the hog rider stated, and continued riding.

An X-bow bolt suddenly flew by. I caught it before it could impale Ian. I saw no elixir on it.

"Oh, crap! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" Ian yelled. "INTO THE TOWN HALL, PEOPLE!"

A P.E.K.K.A. came barreling towards the walls. It destroyed the crystal wall in ten hits, and the archers were barely making a dent in defeating it.

Felix, our builder, tripped as he ran to the town hall.

The P.E.K.K.A. started charging Felix.

It stood above him, about to swing its sword.

Felix screamed, cowering.

Ian stepped in front of him and parried the blow with his sword.

"Julia! Get Felix to the town hall! Start up the Tesla! Go!" Ian yelled.

I helped Felix up, and ran with him to the town hall.

_Ian's POV_

I parried the P.E.K.K.A.'s blow before it could hit Felix.

"Julia! Get Felix to the town hall! Start up the Tesla! Go!" I yelled, and she helped Felix up and to the town hall.

I continued dueling with the P.E.K.K.A. Thrust, parry, lunge, repeat.

I lunged, but the metal warrior uppercut my hand, disarming me.

So I did the stupidest thing I could do to a P.E.K.K.A.: I punched it with my right hand.

"OW, OW, OW, OW, OW!" I yelped, grasping my wounded hand.

I heard a metallic screech come from the P.E.K.K.A. Now I know that it had been laughing at me.

I dived, grabbing my broadsword. I swung my blade, and chopped off its helmet.

The P.E.K.K.A. panicked before reattaching its head.

I felt my back touching the corner of the walls. Well, shit. It had its sword ready to swing, ready to chop my head off. The metal warrior swung.

Then a tower with a coil started sparking and electrocuting the P.E.K.K.A., causing it to convulse momentarily before turning into elixir.

"Julia! Right on time!" I yelled, giving a thumbs up.

But Julia looked shocked instead of happy.

I looked at my left shoulder. Elixir was slowly oozing out of it.


	3. Chapter 3

_Ian's POV_

I had a magic medical cast on my hand, made by Hope, and also a bandage on my shoulder.

"Good thing it didn't have dark elixir on the blade." Hope had told me as she bandaged my wound.

She had also said that my arm should be back to normal by tomorrow.

But I really was stupid, punching a P.E.K.K.A.

I walked over to the mess hall to go eat.

I heard Gerry, the friendly goblin, laughing with his buddies.

"Seven days without puns makes one weak!" Nathan, one of Gerry's friends, laughed hysterically.

"I have some Barbed wire!" Gerry fell over, laughing.

"I'm gonna Ianize you if you keep making stupid puns!" I growled.

I saw a wet stain appear on Nathan's pants as he was laughing.

"Like you're one to talk! You just made a pun yourself!" Gerry chuckled.

I pulled a bag of gold coins out of my sack.

Gerry and his friends eyed the bag like it was filled with candy.

"If I give you guys this gold, will you stop making puns?" I asked.

"Sure! Deal!" Gerry nodded quickly, mesmerized by the gold.

I handed them the gold, and they did _more_ than stop making puns. They practically _shut up_ while Gerry counted the coins.

I got in line for lunch.

"Hello." I heard a familiar voice speak.

"Hey, Julia. By the way, thanks for saving my sorry ass." I replied.

Bill, one of our Balloon pilots (his "wagon" is parked outside) brayed like, well, an ass. Which is a donkey, by the way.

I got my tray of food. Nachos, with... was that _broccoli?!_ Yuck!

Julia sat at an empty table, and I felt like sitting with her. She was the only one who could help me through this. I saw her pull out a sketchpad and pencil. She started on something. What it was, I didn't know.

I peeked at it, and I saw a... a drawing of Mason. But his hood was off, and he had long, curly hair covering his eyebrows. His left cheek had a scar on it from an enemy barbarian king's blade.

I couldn't believe how every detail was perfect. The fireball in his hand... it's like she plucked a memory of Mason out of her head and put it on paper!

"So, uh... how long you been working on that?" I asked, curious.

"I started it just an hour ago." Julia replied.

"Wh-what? an _hour?_" I stuttered. How could she do this in an hour?! It would take me a _week_ to do that!

"I guess you don't really know to draw." Julia sighed.

She flipped to a fresh page and handed me a pencil.

"Uhhhhh..." I said, confused.

"Draw a person in your drawing style." Julia instructed, and I drew a stick figure.

"Ah, the basic stick figure. First, the eyes are actually in the _middle_ of the head." Julia noted.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, puzzled.

"Are your eyes in your forehead?" Julia asked sacastically.

"No. They're in the middle of my face."

"Right." Julia agreed. "I'll teach you how to draw a person properly."

"Okay." I nodded. I had become Julia's apprentice in drawing.


End file.
